Cost Effective Steam Cleaning Is Sufficient

Hot-water extraction removed 60+ years of grease, forklift tracks, and aluminum residue—preparing the production floor for a new line without costly coatings.

Overview

A South Jersey window manufacturing facility needed a large-scale concrete floor restoration. The work preceeded a production line move designed to improve overall working conditions. With new leadership at the helm, they wanted a practical, budget-smart option to restore the concrete floor. This was a targeted decision. Intensive scraping, scrubbing and steaming would remove decades of industrial buildup across the warehouse production area—without grinding or applying new coatings.

Sparkle Surface Care completed a multi-day steam cleaning and hard-surface extraction project to restore the concrete, improve safety, and prepare the space for new equipment installation.

Facility profile

Facility Type: Window manufacturing factory / industrial warehouse
Total Warehouse Size: ~80,000 sq ft
Cleaned Area: ~approximately 20,000+ sq ft concrete production floor

Flooring Type:

• Heavy-duty industrial concrete

Primary conditions:

• 60–80 years of embedded dirt, grease, and industrial residue

• Forklift tire marks and traffic lanes

• Aluminum powder and production film

• Staining from long-term spills

• Hardened dirt caused by a below-grade door leak

Project challenges.

At the onset the concrete showed decades of manufacturing residue: oil and grease, aluminum powder, hardened spills, forklift tire tracks, and water-intrusion staining near a below-grade door.

Project goals.

• Restore industrial concrete floors for production readiness

• Remove embedded grease, dirt, forklift tracks, and aluminum residue

• Avoid costly floor replacement, grinding, or coating installs

• Complete work on a tight timeline aligned with leadership milestones

Demo testing & chemical selection—a test area determined our scope.

Before full-scale cleaning, we tested multiple industrial detergents and agitation methods. Rotary scrubbing followed by hot-water hard-surface extraction and neutralized rinsing produced the best results without damaging the concrete. The demo also revealed one area with a heavy alluminum coating spillage. It required mechanical scraping by in-house staff before we began. After reviewing results, the leadership approved the full scope at our proposed pricing.

Our process.

A 3–5 person crew worked over 4–5 days, cleaning in measured zones to keep operations safe and organized.

We started with HEPA-filtered backpack vacuuming to remove dust, debris, and loose soil — especially near a below-grade doorway. Past water intrusion had left hardened dirt. Leadership addressed the drainage and repaired the door to prevent future flooding.

Next, we applied a heavy-duty degreaser and agitated it with rotary swing machines and stiff industrial scrub brushes. We rinsed with near-boiling water, recovered the slurry, then finished with truck-mounted steam-rinse extraction to remove released oils, soils, and residue.

Final restoration & readiness check.

Once each zone was cleaned and rinsed, we confirmed there was no slick residue remaining. The concrete was adequately clean and stable for equipment staging. The traffic areas were now dust free and visibly ready for the newly designated production area about to receive new and modern production equipment and technology.

The results.

• Decades of embedded grime lifted from industrial concrete

• Forklift lanes and grease staining dramatically reduced

• Production floor restored without grinding or coatings

• Surface brightened and reflected light again

• Safe, clean, production-ready floor delivered on schedule

• Significant cost savings compared to installing coatings or resurfacing

The project was completed in time for a major one-year leadership meeting. Good timing, as the restored floors would soon be supporting the facility’s broader operational upgrades. Secondly, with the eventual resetting of the production line, larger areas of the warehouse will be freed up for other purposes. Staff indicated that such plans are to be sub-leasing the excees areas for additional income generation.

Why this matters.

Industrial concrete deep cleaning is often the most cost-effective way to modernize a plant without a major capital project. Restored floors improve safety, reduce dust, support efficient production layouts, extend concrete life, and sharpen the facility’s appearance — all without the expense of grinding or coatings.

The takeaway.

Rotary scrubbing and steam cleaning revived this industrial concrete — it was and is a practical, budget-smart reset for production readiness.

Need an industrial concrete floor refresh without costly coatings? Call us at 609.953.0472 or  CONTACT US ONLINE  to schedule an evaluation.